Oxfam: Nestle, Mars, Mondelez Leave Women Farmers Behind

An investigation into four
countries where Nestle, Mars and Mondelez (formerly known as
Kraft, the owner of Cadbury New Zealand) purchase cocoa has
shown that many women farmers face discrimination, unequal
pay and hunger, leaving the companies’ social policies
exposed as weak and needing work, says international agency
Oxfam.

Oxfam is raising attention about the dark side of
chocolate on International Women’s Day to urge these
companies to address gender inequality in their supply
chains. Nestle, Marks and Mondelez control 40 percent of the
chocolate market and purchase one third of all cocoa, which
is mostly grown by small farmers in developing countries.
Oxfam’s research shows that the three companies are doing
very little to address poor conditions faced by the women
who grow cocoa.

“The women who help produce the
chocolate we all love to eat are getting left behind,”
said Alison Woodhead, campaign manager for Oxfam’s Behind
the Brands campaign. “Nestle, Mars and Mondelez have the
power and responsibility to make a difference for these
women. All three companies have said they will do more to
make their products more sustainable, now is their chance to
keep that promise.”

“Rooting out gender inequality is
among the most important things companies can do to improve
the quality and sustainability of their products,” said
Sarah Meads, Oxfam New Zealand’s Senior Policy Advisor.
“The big chocolate companies see that farmers are leaving
their land or switching to choosing other crops as a result
of poor conditions and low process. The companies understand
how difficult it will be to meet the growing demand for
cocoa if the situation does not improve, and now is the time
for action.

“We are showing companies that consumers
will reward them for doing the right thing, and will hold
them accountable if they don’t.”

• Women cocoa
growers are often paid less than men even though they are
critical to the quality and productivity of
cocoa.

• Most people who work along the cocoa supply
chain continue to live in poverty, and malnutrition in cocoa
producing areas of the world is rampant.

• Women working
in cocoa fields and processing plants suffer substantial
discrimination and inequality. For example, one worker in
Indonesia told Oxfam she is made to work without a contract
and is called “an animal” by her supervisor but has no
way to complain. A worker at a cocoa processing factory in
Indonesia told Oxfam that all female workers were fired
after a few demanded equal treatment and pay.

• While
women increasingly occupy positions of power in food and
beverage company headquarters, women working in company
supply chains in developing countries continue to be denied
similar advances in wealth, status or
opportunity.• Women cocoa farmers have less access
than men to land, credit, trainings and tools like
fertilizers or irrigation systems.

• Company
sustainability programs have not adequately focused on
addressing issues faced by women.

“All three companies
have launched major projects to improve cocoa sustainability
and have committed to increasing the amount of certified
cocoa that they purchase,” said Woodhead. “Companies
deserve credit for this work. But these efforts are
piecemeal at best and women are often an afterthought. For
decades companies have put women first in their
advertisements, it is time for them to do the same for the
women who grow their ingredients.”

Although the
companies do not control or employ them directly, Oxfam is
calling on Nestle, Mars and Mondelez to lead an aggressive
effort to support and protect the rights of the millions of
women worldwide who grow the cocoa essential for their
products. Specifically Oxfam has called on the companies
to:

1. “Know and show” how women are treated in their
value chains by launching third party assessments and
publishing the data.2. Commit to adopt a “plan of
action” to address the findings of these assessments that
will increase opportunities for women growers and address
inequality in pay and working conditions.3. Engage with
and influence other powerful public and private actors
including governments and cocoa certifiers to address gender
inequality.

Oxfam has given companies a long list of
specific steps that can meet these goals including
increasing trainings for women, promoting female recruitment
and leadership of farming cooperatives and requiring
suppliers provide a living wage to workers.

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